Lamborghini officially unveiled the Aventador J at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The roofless and windowless concept car uses the same V12 engine as the standard Aventador, producing 700hp for a top speed of 186mph managed through a lightweight seven-speed automated transmission. The car does not have air conditioning or radio to save further weight for a total of 3,472 pounds (1,575kg).
The car presented at the Geneva show was the only unit to be produced, and was sold for $2.8 million. The car was specially made for a close relation.
The J label was thought to have come from Appendix J in the FIA manual that describes the technical specifications of race cars. However, during an interview with designer Filippo Perini, it was revealed that the ‘J’ actually stands for Jota, in reference to a 1970s one off Lamborghini Miura Jota, which also conformed to the FIA’s Appendix J regulations.
Back in the late 1990s, when Lamborghini were starting to realise they needed a replacement for the ageing Diablo, they started reviewing design proposals from various automotive design firms. Zagato’s offering was the Zagato L147 SuperDiablo, or as it was to be later known, the Lamborghini Canto. The Lamborghini Canto first appeared in 1998, it arrived only two years after another Zagato designed Lamborghini concept had been unveiled, the Diablo-based Raptor. The cars shared a number of similar features, including the wraparound windows, triangular lateral air intakes, and trademark double-bubble roof. However of the two, the earlier Raptor was probably the better looking. Clearly Ferdinand Piech – head of the Volkswagen Group – thought so too. After VW bought Lamborghini in 1999, one of his first decisions was to review the Canto’s development and redesign the concept. The car was re-engineered and the rear extensively restyled to include smaller air intakes. The engine was also up